Stumpel's OT goal is a showstopper

[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 11/30/2001

HILADELPHIA - If Robbie Ftorek was inclined to make out his Christmas wish list early, one item that might be high up is having his team win a game or two more in regulation. Just once in a while, the coach would like to see a contest in which his club enters the third period with a two- or three-goal lead and keeps it.

Last night was the 10th time in 25 games the Bruins went to the extra session. If Ftorek didn't like the method - giving up a 2-1 lead midway through the third - he liked the result as Jozef Stumpel scored at 3:22 of OT to lift Boston to a 3-2 win over the Flyers.

The Bruins have won five, tied three, and lost just two in overtime.

For Stumpel, it was the second time in as many games he has potted the winner, set up by Brian Rolston.

''Stumpy came in the zone and kind of held up,'' said Rolston, describing how the deciding goal developed. ''I came through the slot area looking for a pass and he hit Nick Boynton late. Nick got the shot and actually [goalie Roman] Cechmanek could've easily covered it but it took a bounce and hit off the top of his glove and just laid there. I gave it to Stumpy and he pretty much had an open net.''

Stumpel scored the deciding goal but it wasn't the most spectacular of the night. Sergei Samsonov gave Boston a 1-0 lead at 18:40 of the first period, scoring one of the more extraordinary goals of his young career.

Glen Murray drove through the right circle and dished a pass through the slot that went past Philadelphia defenseman Eric Desjardins. The puck was bouncing and Samsonov settled it. Then, with the flashy forward stationed low in the left circle, Samsonov put his stick between his legs, collected the puck to the outside of his right skate, and fired it past Cechmanek.

''It was unbelievable,'' said Rolston. ''Just when you think you've seen it all, he does something else. You guys are in awe and we're in awe as well.''

Samsonov downplayed the goal.

''I was just trying to put the puck on the net,'' said Samsonov. ''The puck ended up between my legs and it was just an instinct. It was the weirdest one.''

Samsonov doesn't envision being able to do it again.

''I was trying to get the puck on net and I thought maybe someone would get a rebound,'' he said.

He took some good-natured ribbing from his teammates, who were as dumbfounded as he was.

''They already told me to try it again in practice,'' he said. ''I know that's not going to work. I'll fall down first.''

''It was a beauty,'' said Stumpel. ''First of all, I thought it was between the legs and said, `No, no.' But then I saw it on the replay and it was just amazing.

The Bruins were undermanned on defense with 24.8 seconds left in the period. Philadelphia left wing Simon Gagne had the puck and was trying to gain the blue line. As he zigged one way, Don Sweeney was going the other way. Sweeney's left leg struck Gagne's left leg and Gagne fell to the ice in a heap. He was shaken up but he returned to the game. Sweeney, a clean hitter, was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for kneeing.

''I felt really bad,'' said Sweeney. ''It was more of a poor decision and a defensive reaction on my part. I was very pleased to see him get up and play the rest of the game.''

The Flyers gained a five-minute power play, with 4:35 carrying into the second period. Two minutes were shaved off when Philadelphia's Eric Weinrich was called for slashing.

After Weinrich's penalty expired, giving the Flyers the power play again, Bill Guerin took advantage of a Philly mix-up along the boards and beat Cechmanek on a shorthanded strike from the left circle at 2:53.

Center Marty Murray pulled the Flyers within 2-1 at 12:26. But the Flyers were saving their best for last.

''They came back hard on us in the third and we lost our composure a little bit,'' said Ftorek. ''We did some things we hadn't been doing earlier on in the game. But it was good we were able to start attacking again and we created some scoring chances at the end.''

This story ran on page 3, FLYERS 2 of the Boston Globe on 11/30/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.